De Hems

De Hems is a historic café, pub and oyster-house in London's Chinatown, located just off Shaftesbury Avenue on Macclesfield Street. Its identity combines an old London coaching-inn site, an oyster-house tradition, Dutch cultural associations and a modern pub offer centered on beer, casual food and televised sport. The venue is particularly associated with beers from the Low Countries, including Grolsch and Heineken, and Dutch-style dishes such as bitterballen and frikandellen. The site's history reaches back to the Horse & Dolphin coaching inn, recorded as having been built in 1685. The premises were rebuilt in 1890 by the pub architects Saville and Martin for a publican named Mr Crimmen. After the rebuilding, the establishment was known as The Macclesfield, reflecting its location in Macclesfield Street. It subsequently became associated with a retired Dutch sea captain known as Papa De Hem, who operated it as an oyster-house. His name gradually became the central identity of the venue, although the establishment was also referred to as De Hems or De Hems restaurant before the name was formally adopted. Oysters were the foundation of the pub's late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century reputation. A long marble bar and an upstairs Shell Room decorated with discarded oyster shells helped create a distinctive setting. At the height of the oyster-house period, the shell decoration reportedly used approximately 300,000 shells, although only a small number remain. The venue attracted literary and theatrical figures, including Algernon Charles Swinburne, George Sims and Clemence Dane. Sims even composed a short verse praising the establishment and its oysters. A 1951–52 Good Food Guide entry described the restaurant as offering English cooking in an oyster-shell-lined setting, recommending shellfish where available and noting its comparatively reasonable prices. De Hems also acquired a strong Dutch and wartime political identity. At the beginning of the First World War, Papa De Hem reportedly gave each member of his staff £50 so they could return to the Netherlands when their country was threatened. During the Second World War, Dutch resistance exiles used the pub regularly after the German invasion of the Netherlands, turning it into an unofficial meeting place for members of the Dutch resistance community in Britain. The establishment was also frequented by Kim Philby during this period, although that association reflects the historical clientele rather than a stated commercial role for the pub. The name De Hems was formally associated with the venue in 1959. During the 1960s, it became a meeting place for figures from London's music industry, with reported patrons including Alan Price, Georgie Fame and Andrew Loog Oldham. Around the turn of the twenty-first century, the venue hosted the Oranje Boom-Boom Cabaret comedy club, which included an early appearance by The Mighty Boosh. This added a performance and alternative-comedy dimension to a venue already known for its literary, theatrical and musical connections. In its contemporary form, De Hems operates as a Dutch café-bar and pub. Its offer is built around draught and bottled beer, Low Countries beer brands, Dutch bar snacks and simple pub meals. The venue has also served as a gathering place for Dutch football supporters. During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the popularity of the Dutch team brought crowds large enough that hundreds of fans reportedly could not enter, while additional security was arranged for match days. De Hems therefore occupies a distinctive position in London's hospitality landscape: it is both a functioning central-London pub and a site whose commercial identity is inseparable from Dutch food, drink, history and community connections.

De Hems stands on a site with a long hospitality history. The Horse & Dolphin coaching inn was built there in 1685. The premises were rebuilt in 1890 by Saville and Martin, noted pub architects, for a publican named Mr Crimmen. The rebuilt establishment was called The Macclesfield, after Macclesfield Street in London's West End. The venue's most important early transformation came when it was leased and operated by a retired Dutch sea captain known as Papa De Hem. Under his management it became an oyster-house and developed a name for serving oysters at its long marble bar. Its interior included an upstairs Shell Room decorated with discarded oyster shells. At the reported peak of the oyster-house era, approximately 300,000 shells were used in the decoration, though only a few survive today. The oyster trade also shaped the establishment's literary reputation. Algernon Charles Swinburne was said to have travelled a considerable distance to eat there, while George Sims wrote a verse celebrating the venue and its oysters. The restaurant continued to attract literary and theatrical customers in the early twentieth century. Clemence Dane was among the figures associated with the establishment, which was used for meals and theatrical celebrations involving oysters, stout and champagne. It also developed a less literary clientele in the 1920s, when it became a reported meeting place for gangsters. The venue's name was not immediately fixed in its later form: a 1951–52 Good Food Guide entry referred to the restaurant as De Hems before the establishment was formally renamed De Hems in 1959. Dutch identity became especially significant during the two world wars. When the First World War began, Papa De Hem reportedly gave each employee £50 to return to the Netherlands as the country faced the threat of war. During the Second World War, Dutch resistance exiles who had come to Britain met at the pub regularly after the Netherlands fell to German invasion. The venue consequently functioned as an unofficial headquarters and social meeting place for Dutch resistance circles. Kim Philby was also a reported wartime patron and was friendly with the chef, who was known for wearing a tall white hat. The pub acquired another cultural association in the 1960s, when it became popular among music-industry figures. Names associated with this period include Alan Price, Georgie Fame and Andrew Loog Oldham, the manager of the Rolling Stones. Around the turn of the twenty-first century, De Hems hosted the Oranje Boom-Boom Cabaret comedy club. The club's programme included an early appearance by The Mighty Boosh, linking the venue to London's alternative-comedy scene. In the modern era, De Hems has operated as a Dutch café-bar and pub rather than principally as an oyster restaurant. Its offering emphasizes beers from the Low Countries, including Grolsch and Heineken, together with Dutch foods such as bitterballen and frikandellen. The site retains the historical association with oysters and the Shell Room, but its contemporary identity is broader, combining drinks, casual food and a distinctive Dutch atmosphere. The pub's Dutch cultural role was particularly visible during the 2010 World Cup. Support for the Dutch football team drew crowds beyond the building's capacity, with hundreds of fans reportedly turned away. Extra security was hired for match days, and both the upstairs and downstairs bars were used for supporters. This episode illustrates how De Hems has repeatedly adapted its role—from coaching inn site and oyster-house to literary venue, wartime Dutch meeting place, music-industry haunt, comedy club and contemporary sports pub—while retaining its association with Dutch culture in London.

• 2010

  Dutch World Cup support brought exceptional crowds

  [1]De Hemsen.wikipedia.org

  The pub became a major gathering point for Dutch football supporters, requiring additional security and turning away hundreds of people.

• 2000

  Oranje Boom-Boom Cabaret was hosted at the venue

  [1]De Hemsen.wikipedia.org

  Around the turn of the century, the pub hosted the Oranje Boom-Boom Cabaret comedy club, including an early appearance by The Mighty Boosh.

• 1960

  The pub became associated with music-industry patrons

  [1]De Hemsen.wikipedia.org

  During the 1960s, De Hems was reported as a gathering place for figures including Alan Price, Georgie Fame and Andrew Loog Oldham.

• 1959

  The venue was renamed De Hems

  [1]De Hemsen.wikipedia.org

  The establishment adopted the De Hems name in honour of Papa De Hem, following earlier references to the restaurant under that name.

• 1939

  The pub became a Dutch resistance meeting place

  [1]De Hemsen.wikipedia.org

  After the Netherlands was invaded during the Second World War, Dutch resistance exiles used De Hems regularly as an unofficial headquarters.

• 1914

  Staff were assisted at the outbreak of the First World War

  [1]De Hemsen.wikipedia.org

  Papa De Hem reportedly gave each employee £50 to return to the Netherlands when the First World War began.

• 1890

  The premises were rebuilt

  [1]De Hemsen.wikipedia.org

  The building was reconstructed by pub architects Saville and Martin for publican Mr Crimmen and became known as The Macclesfield.

• 1685

  Horse & Dolphin coaching inn established

  [1]De Hemsen.wikipedia.org

  A coaching inn known as the Horse & Dolphin was built on the site later occupied by De Hems.

• Papa De Hem established the oyster-house identity

  [1]De Hemsen.wikipedia.org

  A retired Dutch sea captain known as Papa De Hem leased the venue and developed its reputation for oysters, marble-bar service and shell decoration.

A historic central-London pub with a Dutch cultural theme, combining traditional oyster-house heritage with Dutch beer, snacks, casual dining and sports-focused hospitality.

• Beverages

  Low Countries beers

  Beer is central to the contemporary De Hems offer. The pub is associated with beers from the Netherlands and wider Low Countries, with Grolsch and Heineken specifically identified among the brands served. Beer also connects the current café-bar format with the venue's long-standing Dutch identity.

• Dutch food

  Bitterballen

  Bitterballen are a Dutch bar-snack offering identified with De Hems. Their presence helps distinguish the pub from a conventional British bar and supports its positioning as a Dutch café-bar in London's Chinatown.

• Dutch food

  Frikandellen

  Frikandellen form part of the pub's Dutch food selection. They are presented as casual food suited to the venue's beer-led café-bar format and its role as a meeting place for Dutch visitors and supporters.

• Seafood

  Oysters and shellfish

  Oysters were the historic foundation of De Hems' reputation. Papa De Hem operated the venue as an oyster-house, and the long marble bar and Shell Room reinforced that identity. Modern descriptions continue to connect the pub with its oyster-house heritage, although the current offer is broader than the original seafood-focused format.

1. 1De Hemsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2De Hems Dutch Cafe Bar, Soho, Londonnicholsonspubs.co.uk